I have written a book on the politics of autism policy. Building on this research, this blog offers insights, analysis, and facts about recent events. If you have advice, tips, or comments, please get in touch with me at jpitney@cmc.edu

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Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Measles and Antivaxxers

From January 1 to April 19, 2019, 626** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 22 states. This is an increase of 71 cases from the previous week. This is the second-greatest number of cases reported in the U.S. since measles was eliminated in 2000, second only to the 667 cases reported during all of 2014. In the coming weeks, 2019 confirmed case numbers will likely surpass 2014 levels.

The rebel forces in America’s latest culture war — the so-called anti-vaxxers — are often described as middle- and upper-class women who breast-feed their children, shop at Whole Foods, endlessly scour the web for vaccine-related conversation, and believe that their thinking supersedes that of doctors. Typically their families earn more than $75,000 a year.

That’s based on findings from various studies, including the National Immunization Surveys conducted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

...

Reports indicate many of the infected weren't vaccinated. The CDC says that the percentage of children who are unvaccinated has quadrupled since 2001. About 25 per cent of parents are delaying vaccinations or allowing only certain vaccines to be used "cafeteria style," said Jennifer Reich, sociologist at the University of Colorado and author of the book "Calling the Shots: Why Parents Reject Vaccines."

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"Frankly, these Caucasian, suburban, educated parents believe they can Google the word vaccine and get as much information as anybody," said Paul Offit, a professor of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.These people are educated just well enough to make terrible decisions for their children."

...
Vaccine resistance has become a “form of privilege,” Reich said. Educated mothers develop a sense of entitlement that helps them decide which vaccines are unnecessary, Reich said, adding, “They focus on organic foods, health-promoting practices at home — ways they see of mitigating disease risk.”